Question

I am hoping you can shed some light on two types of shakiness which I’ve had since a recent relapse of my ME.

Some days I start feeling shaky shortly after getting moving in the morning. It’s like I’ve had a big dose of caffeine (which I definitely haven’t) and at its worst my hands will be too shaky to do anything fiddly like sewing but resting is hard because I feel wired with it. It normally fades around the middle of the day. It’s intermittent and there are no obvious triggers.

More difficult to describe is a sensation I get sometimes which is more disturbing. It’s like an inner wobble, possibly centred around my abdomen. It comes and goes and tends to make me feel vaguely weak. It’s possible that one trigger is doing too much but otherwise it’s random and can disappear for weeks. I find it difficult because I don’t know whether I should be resting more when I have this shakiness or trying to ignore it like a lot of other symptoms.

Answer

This type of unusual body shaking is something which is occasionally reported by people with ME/CFS and for which there is no satisfactory medical explanation or treatment.

As far as triggering factors that could be related to having ME/CFS these include anxiety, stress, lack of sleep and caffeine-containing drinks.

You don't say if you have spoken to your GP about this problem. If not, I would encourage you to do so because it could be a sign of another medical problem that is not related to ME/CFS – such as hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), low blood pressure, an overactive thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis) or even Parkinson's disease – especially if it affects the hands and you have experienced a general slowing down in physical activity.

Your doctor needs to take a proper clinical history, carry out an examination of the parts affected, and possibly arrange some blood tests before concluding that this is another of those rather unusual symptoms, that sometimes occurs in ME/CFS.

• Please let us know if you have this symptom and whether you have found anything that helps to prevent or relieve it.

See Also: Symptom: Tremor